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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS players yesterday came short of questioning stand-in coach Mark Mathe’s ingenuity after the team returned to losing ways on Sunday, falling 1-2 to relegation-haunted Shabanie Mine.It was Highlanders’ fourth league loss under Mathe with the team registering just a single win when they beat relegated Chiredzi United 2-1 at Hartsfield Grounds. Bosso now lie seventh on the table.
Players that spoke to Chronicle Sport said they are just tired of being told the same thing time and again after a loss.
“We’re tired of being told ‘tough luck guys’ everytime. We know that we too have to put an extra effort which we’re doing but some technical and tactical instructions aren’t good enough as they’re easily thwarted by the opposition,” said a senior player who asked not to be named.
Highlanders’ tactics have gone awry this season with lifeless displays in most of their matches, even those they have won. Of late questionable displays have been noted especially in central defence where Innocent Mapuranga and Dumisani Ndlovu’s performances have left a lot to be desired.
Another player said the post-match dressing room resembled a funeral wake as players and coaches try to come up with answers to the poor run.
“Right now I’m still at home because you can’t be seen to be moving around town abantu bezondile. We just don’t know what exactly is happening because even some of the mistakes we make you wonder how such things happen. The coaches can only say ‘tough luck guys’ because there won’t be anything to say after the match,” said the senior player.
Meanwhile, How Mine coach Luke Masomere has tipped new boys ZPC Kariba to go all the way and lift the league title after they dispatched Dynamos 2-1 at the National Sports Stadium, in the process opening a two-point lead.
Speaking in an interview after watching his boys seal their Premiership status with a 3-0 win over Bantu Rovers on Sunday, Masomere said it was highly unlikely that the power generators would let it slip.
“The title’s theirs, no doubt about that and it’s just unfortunate that the PSL wants to hand over the trophy in a professional manner at the end of the season but if it was me, I would even hand ZPC Kariba the trophy now,” said Masomere.
ZPC Kariba now need at least a point in their last match against Caps United to land the big one and the $70,000 prize money that goes with it. A draw will take their points tally to 57 points, leaving Dynamos to beat How Mine by at least eight goals without reply. It is football, it can happen but it looks highly unlikely. For the first time, Dynamos fans will discard their blue and white kit for the green and white Caps United colours, just for those 90 minutes.
As the league heads for the climax, the relegation fight will go to the wire with five teams still facing the possibility of being chopped.
Shabanie Mine occupy the last relegation slot on 35 points, the same as Harare City who however enjoy a superior goal difference. Buffaloes, Triangle and Chapungu are the other three teams still fighting for survival.
Two of the five teams are meeting on the last day, Shabanie Mine and Triangle, making the whole relegation puzzle even more complex. Chiredzi and Bantu Rovers are already out as they bade farewell to the top flight weeks ago but Bantu Rovers will long be remembered as the team that turned the championship tide upside down with their gallant show against Dynamos whom they held to a 0-0 draw two weeks ago.
The two points dropped by the Glamour Boys in that match could haunt them for a while.
But it is not over yet.
The league takes a break this weekend with the PSL slotting in the Chibuku Super Cup final that will see FC Platinum clashing with Harare City.
Online Reporter